QR code glossary · Formats and payloads
vCard QR code
Also called: Contact QR code, Business card QR code
Definition
A vCard QR code is a QR code that contains contact details in vCard format, the standard text format for electronic business cards, so that scanning it makes a phone offer to save the name, phone number, email and other fields as a new contact.
How it works
A vCard is plain text: a BEGIN:VCARD line, a version, one line per field and an END:VCARD line. vCard 3.0 is defined in RFC 2426 (1998) and vCard 4.0 in RFC 6350 (2011). Version 3.0 is a common choice for QR codes because it is so widely supported.
BEGIN:VCARD
VERSION:3.0
N:Doe;Jane;;;
FN:Jane Doe
TEL;TYPE=CELL:+15550100142
EMAIL:jane@example.com
END:VCARDMECARD is a shorter alternative popularized by NTT Docomo, written on one line, for example MECARD:N:Doe,Jane;TEL:+15550100142;EMAIL:jane@example.com;;. It has fewer fields but makes a smaller code.
A vCard code is a static code: the phone reads the details straight from the pattern, so it works offline but cannot be changed after printing. The alternative is a dynamic code that opens a hosted contact page or downloads a .vcf file, which can be edited at any time but needs a connection.
Why it matters
Every field adds characters, and characters add modules. A business card leaves little room for a code, so a vCard should stick to the essentials: name, one phone number, one email, and perhaps company, title and website. Write phone numbers with the country code so they work abroad.
Photos do not fit. vCard stores them as base64 text, which turns a modest 10 KB image into about 13,700 characters, several times the 2,953 bytes the largest QR code can hold. Test the printed code on an iPhone and an Android phone and check that every field lands in the right place.
Example
The vCard above, with line breaks written as CRLF as the vCard specifications require, is 115 characters and needs a version 7 code (45 × 45 modules) at level M. The MECARD version is 59 characters and fits version 4 (33 × 33).
In CirculateQR
The free vCard generator makes static vCard 3.0 codes in your browser. Dynamic contact codes can open a hosted contact card page or a contact download page instead, and can be edited after printing.
Related terms
- Static QR codeA static QR code is a QR code whose content, such as a web address, WiFi login or contact card, is encoded directly in the printed pattern, so it works without any service in between but cannot be edited or tracked after it is generated.
- Dynamic QR codeA dynamic QR code is a QR code that encodes a short link to a redirect service instead of the final content, so the destination can be changed after printing and each scan can be counted, for as long as the service keeps the link active.
- Data capacityData capacity is the most content a QR code can hold, which depends on its version, error correction level and encoding mode; the largest code, version 40 at level L, holds 7,089 numeric digits, 4,296 alphanumeric characters, 2,953 bytes or 1,817 kanji characters.
- Encoding modesEncoding modes are the ways a QR code packs characters into bits: numeric mode for digits, alphanumeric mode for a 45-character set of capital letters, digits and a few symbols, byte mode for any data such as UTF-8 text, and kanji mode for Japanese Shift JIS characters.
- WiFi QR codeA WiFi QR code is a QR code that contains a network’s name, password and security type in the WIFI: text format, such as WIFI:T:WPA;S:Cafe Guest;P:espresso-2026;;, so a phone that scans it can offer to join the network without typing the password.
Learn more
- Free vCard QR code generator: A contact code that saves to any phone.
- How to make a vCard QR code for business cards: Fields, MECARD and sizing for a card.
- QR codes on business cards: Ideas for digital business cards.
Sources
Last updated . Written by the CirculateQR team; technical facts follow the sources listed above. Example codes and sizes are computed with the open-source qrcode encoder that CirculateQR uses. Spotted something wrong? Email support@circulateqr.com. QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.
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